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Friday, December 28, 2012

You have other options...

My sister, me, Nani, my brother

When my grandmother (Nani) was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer about 3 years ago she was given very few options. In her case it was chemotherapy or nothing. It astounded me that in all these decades of treating cancer, doctors give three options depending on the cancer... chemo, radiation, surgery, or a combination.

It's appalling actually because since then, I have researched and found at least half a dozen different doctors and organizations that are having success by treating cancer patients with "alternative" medical treatments. I have written about The Gerson Therapy before along with other alternative treatments (you can find it here) but I received an email from them today with a success story that I wanted to share.
"It's now 7 ½ years since I was diagnosed with stage IV mantle cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and turned down all four of the chemotherapy drugs they wanted to put into a port near my shoulder. I'd been a member of the Gerson Institute for many years and I always figured that, if I were ever to get cancer, I'd start Gerson Therapy immediately. On the way home from Dana Farber Cancer Institute where the lymphoma specialist told me what treatment he wanted me to take, Pete and I stopped at a health food store and loaded up on organic produce. I followed Charlotte's book to the "T."  
When I returned to my oncologist's office with my follow-up lab reports a couple of months later, he exclaimed, "This is absolutely fantastic!" Then, he wrote me a letter saying, "Keep doing what you are doing. The chemo would not have cured your cancer anyway." At the five year point, I was called in to my local oncologist's office who had been ordering the lab work and CT scans since diagnosis. She said I didn't have to be followed any longer and added, "Had you taken the recommended chemo, I doubt you'd be alive today." My oncologists were very compassionate and pleased to watch me doing so well with my holistic approach.
--Joyce Forsythe
Unlike many people faced with the devastating diagnosis of stage IV cancer, Joyce already knew of alternative treatments she could turn to. She had learned of the Gerson Therapy years before by living near Dr. Gerson's center outside New York City. Joyce had also been a member of the Gerson Institute for years and heard the stories of the many patients who recovered by strictly following the Therapy protocols.  
While deciding not to take your doctors' advice may never be easy, it is easier when you have been able to learn about the alternatives before you find yourself in a situation of fear and stress. That's why your support is pivotal. As cancer rates rise and toxins in our foods, air and water become more prevalent, it is important that people learn about that there are viable alternative treatments, like the Gerson Therapy, before they become ill. 
We know that the Gerson Therapy may not be the right choice for everyone. It requires a strong commitment to a very new way of eating and living. But it is a path for many people - and could be the path for many more, if only they know about Gerson before they become ill. Please help us spread Dr. Gerson's message of hope and healing today. Help by donating The Gerson Institute directly.

I thought it important to share success stories with you because you don't usually hear about them. And you sure as hell don't hear about them from Oncologists. It's very frightening when you are sitting in the doctor's office waiting to hear the odds of survival of someone you love and being told the treatments that they do have don't even work. Hopefully this makes it into the hands of someone who can use it before they waste precious time.

If you or someone you know has cancer, please forward this to them or direct them to Alternative Cancer Therapies.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

McRib is back...YUCK!


There are so many things wrong with this sandwich I don't even know where to start. McDonald's only saving grace is that it doesn't offer the sandwich all the time. Thank you McDonald's for not allowing us to purchase another disastrous option most of the time. 

Let me preface this by saying that I do eat meat... however, I am picky about where it comes from. And the McRib shouldn't even be allowed to be called meat.

Richard Mandigo, the professor from the University of Nebraska, who developed the "restructured meat product" that the McRib is actually made of, described it as:
Restructured meat products are commonly manufactured by using lower-valued meat trimmings reduced in size by comminution (flaking, chunking, grinding, chopping or slicing). The comminuted meat mixture is mixed with salt and water to extract salt-soluble proteins. These extracted proteins are critical to produce a "glue" which binds muscle pieces together. These muscle pieces may then be reformed to produce a "meat log" of specific form or shape. The log is then cut into steaks or chops which, when cooked, are similar in appearance and texture to their intact muscle counterparts. ... Such products as tripe, heart, and scalded stomachs are high in protein, completely edible, wholesome, and nutritious, and most are already used in sausage without objection. (Original Source)

Yummmmm. Restructured meat products are going to the top of my ABSOLUTELY DO NOT F**KING EAT LIST.

According to the current box labeling, the sandwich consists of just five basic components - a pork patty and BBQ sauce with pickle slices, onions and a sesame bun.
But, as Time magazine points out, a closer examination of McDonald's own list of ingredients reveals that the sandwich contains a total of 70 ingredients, including azodicarbonamide, a flour-bleaching component that is often used to produce foamed plastics (think gym mats and the soles of shoes). In fact, "the compound is banned in Europe and Australia as a food additive," says Time. Other ingredients include ammonium sulfate and polysorbate 80. (Original Source)

Why does anything need 70 ingredients? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... do not eat this! If you want something covered in BBQ sauce at least get something in it's original form like a chicken wing or real ribs... not something that was conjured up in a laboratory and made of chemicals in a factory. These should come with a warning label like cigarettes do. This will cause: cancer, heart disease, chronic inflammation, digestive issues, arthritis, obesity, diabetes, and on and on and on...

YUCK!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Is it a Christmas Miracle... or ear candling?


So normally I get sick at least once during the Christmas season. It's usually a combination of lack of sleep, too much stress, and/or burning the candle at both ends. Anyway I cut it, I get sick. This year, even though I was surrounded by sick people, I (knock on wood) haven't gotten sick yet.

I have a crazy suspicion that I know why I didn't get sick. There was one day a few weeks back that I started to feel like I was getting sick. It was the kind that starts in the back of your throat and it feels like your ears hurt. I got home and planned on sleeping it off, but before I got into bed I candled my ears. Then I got on the phone and before I knew it, it was like 2 hours later and I felt completely better. That was odd!

Yesterday morning I woke up and felt the same I'm-definitely-getting-sick feeling. So I immediately candled my ears, and it pretty much went away.

One of the things that I've noticed (it's about to get really REAL) in my ear candling experiences is that when I've had mine done and I haven't been sick the ear wax comes out like a waxy powder. When I've done it, either to myself when I feel like I'm about to get a cold or to my friends after they've become sick, the ear wax comes out in dark clumps. Gross I know, but it's something to think about. I have heard it said by a few doctors I respect that the ear wax in your ears is the perfect breeding ground for colds and infections.

Welp... I'm sure some could argue that this is just a theory, but I'm convinced. And I'll be candling my ears every time I feel like I'm coming down with something.

That is all. You can go back to your day :)

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Hi.... I'm Jess. I think I used to write a blog

It's been a while. Sorry! Fortunately, I have nothing healthy to report to you. I have been keeping my head above water for the past few weeks and everything, aside from the occasional workout and occasional green juice, has fallen by the wayside.

The only thing I've cooked in the past 3 weeks has been my WORLD FAMOUS banana bread. Lucky you because I am about to share the once-secret recipe with you.



  • 2 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1 stick organic butter (softened)
  • 2 farm eggs
  • 5 overripe (black) bananas
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 splashes vanilla extract
  • spices: ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together sugar and salt, butter, eggs, bananas, and spices.
  3. Add in flour a little at a time until all is mixed in. 
  4. Bake for 1 hour, or until knife comes out clean from the middle of pan
They key to my moist-ass-banana-bread is the 5 overripe bananas. Any less and it just isn't the same. A great breakfast on a cold morning. 

Enjoy!